Southern California
Conversion Technology
News
Conversion Technology E-Newsletter - September 2017
EVENTS
Alternative Technology Advisory Subcommittee Meeting (ATAS)
September 21, 2017
Alhambra, CA
For more information on this event, please visit the website:
http://dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/tf/meetings.cfm
ISWA's World Congress & WASTECON 2017
September 25-27, 2017
Baltimore, MD
For more information on this event, please visit the website:
https://swana.org/events/wastecon.aspx
Renewable Energy from Waste Virtual Conference
October 3-4, 2017
http://www.rewconference.com
2017 Syngas Technologies Conference
October 15-18, 2017
Colorado Springs, CO
For more information on this event, please visit the website:
http://www.gasification-syngas.org/events/2017-conference/
BioCycle REFOR17
October 16-19, 2017
Portland, OR
For more information on this event, please visit the website:
https://www.biocycle.net/conferences/event-calendar/
U.S. Biogas 2017
October 25-26, 2017
San Diego, CA
For more information on this event, please visit the website:
http://events.newenergyupdate.com/biogas/
Stakeholder Workshop for SB 1383 Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP)
October 30, 2017
Sacramento, CA
http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Actions/PublicNoticeDetail.aspx?id=2187&aiid=1995
Southern California Waste Management Forum
November 8, 2017
Pomona, CA
http://www.scwmf.org/web/forum-events/conference/
RNG Conference 2017
November 27-30, 2017
Dana Point, CA
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rng-2017-conference-registration-33943436733NEWS
Cornell Engineers Transform Food Waste Into Green Energy
With food waste being the largest component contributing to municipal landfills in the United States, researchers at Cornell University may have found a way to turn that food waste into energy more efficiently. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) subjects food waste to high heat and high pressure resulting in crude bio-oil that can be further refined into biofuel. The by-product is aqueous food waste and can be anaerobically digested extracting nearly all the energy from the remaining feedstock. Anaerobic digestion (AD) alone could take up to a few weeks to turn the food waste into energy. The research shows that the aqueous by-product of HTL makes it easier for the microbes to break down than raw biomass. A combination of HTL and AD is not only more efficient but makes the process much faster. To read more, click here.
Biofuel Breakthroughs Bring Negative Emissions A Step Closer
Recent breakthroughs in biofuels research have made negative emissions closer to reality with the help of algae. As an example, algal blossoms that can occur in polluted rivers and lakes are relatively inefficient at taking in carbon dioxide. However, researchers have found a way to genetically modify algae to double the carbon drawdown rate. Researchers at Washington State University have even developed a way to grow algae in a fraction of the time. Algae can the then be used to make up the biomass feedstock for pyrolysis to create energy. The remaining byproduct, called char or biochar, can be used as a soil additive to return the carbon back into the soil. The market for biochar as a soil additive has not sufficiently developed. Thus, the pyrolysis of algae is more economical to produce biofuel. But if biochar as a soil additive is better refined, the market may develop to make it viable to produce both biofuel and biochar. To read more, click here.
Can Congress Cut Food Waste? It Depends on the Success of this Bill
The Food Recovery Act (HR 3444), first introduced by Representative Chellie Pingree at the end of June looks to establish a national standard as to how the U.S. handles food waste. Two of the requirements that could result from the bill would be that anyone seeking a grant or loan for an anaerobic digestion (AD) project would have to submit an agreement to adhere to EPA food management standards and a plan on how to handle digestate byproduct of the AD process. The bill would also encourage schools to purchase ugly food, which are nonstandard looking produce. Not only are these fruits and vegetables being diverted from landfills, but this will help teach a younger generation to appreciate unconventional looking produce. Date labels expressing use by dates could finally be standardized on a national level, and the Department of Agriculture may change the way it awards loans and grants as a result of the Food Recovery Act. To read more, click here.
From Food Waste to Energy: How Potato Peelings Are Powering Buildings in SE Wisconsin
Two years ago, Sendiks Food Market in Mequon would easily fill eight 30-yard bins with food waste monthly. However, that amount has decreased to just one 30-yard bin a month because of the Grind2Energy food waste recycling system. Food scraps are fed into the system and ground into a slurry that is shipped off-site to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District South Shore Site where it is anaerobically digested. The digesters are located underground at the site and can hold up to three million gallons. The methane produced by these digesters are then converted into energy, making up to 75% of the plants total energy needs, which helps lower energy costs and in turn help to lower taxes according to public information manager, Bill Graffin. After the digestion process is over, the digestate left behind is then sold to be used as a nutrient-rich fertilizer. According to Grind2Energy, one pound of food waste can power a 10W LED bulb for 17 hours, and one tank of slurry like the one Sendiks uses can power a single-family home for 70 days. To read more, click here.
Note: documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) require Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view, download Adobe Acrobat Reader.